At The End of Everything
by Ridea
Summary: It was one thing to pick up a stray. A whole other to end up at some camp with a guy saying he's from the past. Takes place in the future seen in 'The End'.
1. Who Are You?

**At The End of Everything**

Chapter 1: "Who Are You?"

Notes: This is one I've had for awhile and am only posting it now. The first chapter is short. Takes place in the future that we saw in the episode The End. A different view on things, if you will. Hope you like it.

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There were screams and thuds. She held herself tighter, trying to erase the sounds from her mind. She tried to stop shaking but it only increased with the shrieks she heard. She flinched at the sound of gunshots. It went silent for a moment and she pressed herself further in the corner when the doorknob rattled. There were murmured voices outside the door and while part of her dared to hope, the past day had proven to her that hope only got you dead. It went silent for another moment before the door flew open. She clutched her eyes shut, praying that her death would come quick. When nothing happened, she looked up. Standing in the doorway was a girl in a leather jacket, holding a baseball bat on her shoulder and smirking at her.  
"Alright?" The girl asked. "You're not infected are you?"  
"What? No!" She scrambled to her feet.  
"Good. Come on." The girl with the bat turned and left. She ran after her.

"I found one!" I called out as I walked back to the group. The girl was running after me like I assumed she would.  
"Infected?"  
I shrugged. "She says she's not..." I didn't continue the thought. We both knew that those infected could lie, especially if it was only in the beginning stages.  
"Who are you?"  
I turned to the girl I had found and smiled. "I'm Prez. The blond behind me is Ace."  
"And the others?" She looked young. Maybe in her early teens, it was hard to say.  
"Greg and Pat. You'll meet the others later, for now, you need to answer a few questions for me, got it?"  
She nodded; the fear hadn't fully left her features, especially as she kept looking around at the bodies that lay on the floor.  
"Good. Now, did any of them cut you? Or get their blood mixed with yours?" I narrowed my eyes at her and moved so I was casually swinging the bat. If she said yes, I needed to be able to react quickly.  
"No."  
"Answer honestly," Ace had come up next to me.  
"I am! I hid in the closet once they broke in. My dad..." she swallowed. "My dad told me he'd protect me." Her gaze wandered again to the bodies.  
My jaw clenched. It would be harder to get the right story from her if she didn't focus. I snapped my fingers in front of her. "Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
I nodded. "Okay. Look, it's hard, I get that, but you got two options, okay?" I waited until she nodded. "You can come with us, or you can go on your own."  
Her eyes went wide. "On my own?" She shook her head. "No, please, let me come with you. Please!"  
I grinned at her and looked at Ace. "You gotta follow our rules though, got it?"  
She nodded.  
"Alright, come on. We gotta move out before more come." I nodded to Ace and she yelled at Pat and Greg. We got to the truck and drove out. The girl stared at the house as we left.

"What's your name?" Ace asked, trying to distract her.  
"Mary." She looked out the back of the truck again.  
"How old are you Mary?" Greg asked from the front. I hit his seat. I knew what he was thinking.  
"Fifteen. I don't understand, what's going on? Who are you?"  
I raised an eyebrow to her. "I already introduced everyone."  
"That's not what I meant." She glared at me. "Are you military?"  
"Those bastards?" I snorted. "Hell no. We're freelance." I grinned as the others laughed. Mary stared at me confused.  
"But what's going on? Why are...why did Mr. James attack? What's wrong with my town!" Everyone fell silent. I looked at Ace and frowned. This was the worst part.  
"Didn't you know?" Ace said, giving her a small smile. "It's the end of the world."


	2. What do we do now?

**At The End of Everything**

Chapter 2: "What are we gonna do?"

Notes: Greetings all. So, taking a break inbetween the part of Emma, I'm posting this. Ignore the fact that I'm trying to distract you while I edit ;)  
Check it out and let me know what you think.

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I hopped out of the truck once it stopped. "Come on kid, let's get you introduced." I waited until Mary climbed out of the truck before moving around and grabbing one of the bags from the back.  
I left Greg and Pat to grab the rest of the stuff while Ace and I flanked Mary and led her into the farmhouse. "Hey Ally! Mac! We're back!"  
Ally came out of the kitchen as we entered the house. She glared at me once she saw Mary. "Y'all didn't tell me we were having company."  
"Sorry." I grinned at her. "Mary, meet Ally. She's a little fierce, but you'll like her." Ally was in her 40's and had a deep southern accent. Ace and I had theories she was from some rich family, but Ally never answered when we asked. "Where's Mac?"  
"Patrollin'." She scowled. "Boy's gonna get himself killed."  
"By her no doubt," I heard Ace mutter and I stifled my laugh. Mary looked up at us confused.  
"Mac's her lover," I explained.  
"And what a lover!" Ally fanned herself and sent us a wink. "Now come here child, let me take a look at you."  
I pushed Mary forwards and she stumbled a bit before Ally grabbed her. She grabbed her chin and tilted her face to the sides. Mary looked uncomfortable.  
"Where'd you find her?"  
"5 miles west, locked in a closet."  
Ally looked up suddenly, all trace of amusement gone from her face. "Five? They're gettin' closer."  
I nodded and looked at Ace. "Yeah. Do us a fave, keep her entertained." I motioned to Mary. "Ace and I got to patrol. We'll send Mac back to you." Ally nodded and Ace and I left, though not before calling out a warning to Ally. "Oh! And Greg's on the prowl." I saw her eyes narrow and knew Mary would be safe.

"What do you think of the kid?"  
"Young." I said as I retied my boots. "Least she's alive though...but I don't like the way Greg's looking at her."  
She snorted. "Greg's a little fuck."  
"Which is what he's looking for. He's terrified of Mac to do anything to Ally, and we've already threatened him and nearly killed him before, but Mary's new. She wouldn't be able to fight him off."  
I stood up and stretched, keeping my eyes out for any sign of movement. Since Mac was out, we couldn't just shoot at anything.  
"She can bunk with us." Ace said and I nodded. "He touches her, and I'll castrate him."  
I grinned. "Taking a liking to her already?"  
She shrugged. "Kind of reminds me of me when it first started."  
I remembered those days. When the infection first broke out, we got worried. There had been signs of something going wrong, and it had taken awhile before people started realising that the infection was hitting small towns. There had been rumours of zombies, but it was worse. Zombies you could pretend were evil; they decayed and looked like monsters. The infected looked normal, could talk to you normal in the beginning until they attacked. It was hell.  
"Yeah, I can see it."  
Ace held up a hand and pointed to a figure in the distance. I was tempted to yell out to see if it was Mac, but I knew better. I aimed the shotgun I had traded in my bat for and we moved forwards slowly. When we got close enough, the figure turned and had a gun pointed at us. It was Mac.  
"It's us." Ace called out and he didn't move. "Are you infected?"  
"Hell no!" He yelled back. "Are you?"  
I rolled my eyes. "How would you be able to tell anyways in the dark? We could be lying."  
"You could." He paused for a moment before lowering his gun. "How was the hunt?"  
"We picked up a stray. She's with Ally, who's looking for you."  
"Fuck." He looked at us both carefully. "Have you tested the stray yet?"  
"No, we left that to the others."  
He nodded. "There's nothing out there."  
I lowered the shot gun and moved forwards. "Not yet." I smacked him on the back of the head. It was a little awkward since he was taller than me. "That's for patrolling alone! You know the rules!"  
He smiled sheepishly at me. "I know, I got restless."  
"You're restlessness is going to get you killed." Ace said before motioning him to get going. He grinned again before running towards the house. We watched him go.  
"You know," I said, "for a grown man, he sure doesn't act like it."

When we got back, we sent Greg and Pat out. It wasn't necessary, but we wanted them both out of the way when we talked to Ally and Mac. We found all three in the kitchen.  
"Hey Ace?" I waited until she looked at me as we entered the kitchen. "You should show Mary here the room." Ace regarded me carefully for a second before nodding.  
"But, I already know..." Mary trailed off as Ace and I just looked at her. "Fine. I know when I'm not wanted." I rolled my eyes as the teenage angst and waited until they were gone before I looked at Ally and Mac. "We're going to need to move out soon."  
"And where are we all gonna go?" Ally asked, setting a plate of food in front of me. I smiled at her in thanks and started eating. It wasn't much, mostly a variety of canned goods.  
"I don't know." I said around a mouthful of food.  
"Should we have accepted the stray?" Mac asked and Ally hit him in the back of the head. "Hey!"  
"Should we have left her to die?" He stayed silent.  
"Prezah..." Ally sighed. "We're runnin' out of food, sugar. Mac and Ah have been talkin' and we think..." she paused.  
"We think we should split up."  
I looked at Mac. "What?"  
"That's ridiculous." I turned and found Ace in the doorway behind me. "It took us ages to find each other and we've only survived because we've had each other."  
Ally shook her head. "That's not true. You two were doing just fine without any of us." She smiled at Mac. "Mac and me, we can take care of ourselves. You've heard the rumours of the camps."  
"They're rumours." I said, my jaw clenched. "Set up by people who want to believe in more. You know that."  
"We can't be sure." Ally smiled at me. "Ah think...Ah need to believe that there's more."  
I pushed my plate away. "So you're leaving? What about the kid?"  
"It's up to her." Mac said, "We'll take her if she wants to come with us." It was a ridiculous idea. Ally and Mac could take care of themselves, but I doubted they'd be able to take care of a teenager in these conditions.  
"I don't like it."  
"Girls, you're in your mid twenties and have survived this long. You can last longer without us." Mac smiled at us and wrapped an arm around Ally. I looked at Ace who was shaking her head.  
"Is this...really what you want?" she asked.  
"Yeah, it is."  
"You can take one of the cars." We had about three. "You can take your weapons, and some of the food but you have to leave most of it." I hated being direct and strict, but I needed to think of our survival. If they were leaving, they wouldn't be a part of it.  
"Of course," Mac said. "It's more than we can ask for."  
"We're going to need to leave in the morning," Ace said. I nodded in agreement. "Have you told the others?"  
"Not yet," Mac sighed. "We wanted to tell you first."  
I gave a small laugh. "Thanks." Ace sat down and started eating and the others started talking. I didn't pay attention. I was more concerned on how we'd deal with Greg and his pet Pat.

"Wake up bitches!"  
I groaned and reached for the knife under my pillow. I was tempted to kill Greg already. The only reason he could have been that happy was if Mac and Ally left. I heard Ace swear and knew she had the same thoughts.  
"Greg," I muttered, knowing he was in the room. "Just because Mac is gone, does not make you top dog. Leave me alone or face my wrath." It sounded ridiculous but I was half asleep. I heard Ace laugh at me but Greg didn't say anything else. I hadn't heard anything from Mary, which made me open my eyes. The sleeping bag on the floor was empty. I looked at Ace. "Ace, where the hell is Mary?" She looked at the floor blearily before it clicked. We both got up quickly and ran downstairs.  
I found Greg leaning towards Mary who was backed up against a wall. I grabbed him and threw him back. He fell to the floor and Mary ran to Ace. "Now now Greggy boy, like I said. Just cause Mac ain't around doesn't mean you're alpha."  
He glared up at me. "Oh and you're going to take me on?"  
I grinned and leaned close, moving the bowie knife in my hand to his face. "You remember my last warning? Yeah, that still stands." I stood up straight, looked at Ace who nodded. She took Mary upstairs. I glared at Greg and followed them. Once we got to our room, we moved quickly. We left Mary standing in shock as we redressed quickly.  
"What's going on?"  
I didn't look at her; instead I adjusted my leg holster. "We're leaving. Now."  
"But why? I mean, I saw you down there. You could totally take him."  
"Yeah but he's angry now and he's going to end up doing something stupid that will probably get someone killed," Ace said. I grabbed my leather jacket and fixed my gun holster. I also checked my knife. I grabbed my bat and the bag of our clothes. "Come on Mare, we're moving out."

Once Ace was ready, after adjusting her various holsters and grabbing the shot gun, we headed downstairs and to the truck.  
"Shit," Ace said, "we forgot food."  
"There's something here," Mary said and we looked in the back seat. There was a note on top of a bunch of boxes in the back seat. Mary grabbed it.  
"What's it say?"  
"Figured you'd run, so we stocked the truck for you. Take care, and we'll see you in the future. All the best, love Ally and Mac."  
I grinned at Ace and started the truck. I pulled out of the drive and Ace gave the finger to Greg who had appeared in the doorway. "When do you think he'll realise?" I asked.  
"Don't know, don't care." She grinned at me and I laughed.

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What do you think?


	3. President of the United States

**At The End Of Everything**

Chapter 3: President of the United States

Notes: I am so sorry this took a long time to get posted. For that, I'm giving you two chapters. This and 4. For those of you reading Emma...it's almost done. I swear! Hope you guys are awesome and here's the chapter :)

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"So, what's your real name?"  
I looked in the rear view mirror at Mary. We had been driving for hours. Ace and I didn't know where we were going to go, but we didn't tell her that. "What do you mean?"  
"Oh come on, you can't expect me to believe you're really named Prez and Ace." She rolled her eyes. "So, what's your real names?"  
"It doesn't matter," I said. I looked towards Ace who looked to be asleep.  
"Why not?"  
"Because..." I sighed. "We left those a long time ago."  
She pouted for a moment when she realised I wasn't going to explain. "So, why Prez?"  
"Cause she's the fucking president of the United States." Ace spoke, her eyes still closed. I laughed while Mary glared. It didn't last long.  
She was looking out the window when I heard her mutter, "Maybe I should get a new name." I didn't press it though.

Mary was fast asleep in the back when Ace pulled over and turned off the car.  
"Where are we going?" She asked, her voice low so it wouldn't wake the kid in the back.  
"Hell if I know. We just needed to go."  
She nodded. "We can't just drive with no destination in mind...it's not safe."  
"I know..." I rubbed my face. "I just can't think of anywhere that's safe...it's only three of us now."  
"Maybe we should head home."  
I thought about it. "We left for a reason. No one's left."  
"I know. Your dad..."  
"My dad got us out in time. He's the only reason we've survived as long as we have. Now we got a kid to take care of...we just need somewhere we can hold up for a while. Where's there's not many infected and we can train her or something."  
Ace snorted but turned the car back on.  
"Let's just drive," I said, smiling at her. "Maybe we'll find something on the way."  
"I hate your ideas like this." She said, throwing a quick look back at Mary before driving away. We needed to figure something out quickly.

"Wake up."  
I jolted awake as Ace hit me. The car was stopped and I looked around to find we were at a gas station. "Already?" I asked her, looking confused.  
"Yeah."  
I stretched as best as I could in the car and leaned into the back and shook Mary awake.  
"Huh?" She blinked at me a few times before remembered where she was. "What's going on?"  
"We need to get gas. Come on, you're helping keep watch." I got out of the car quickly and handed her the bat. "You know how to swing, don't you?" I waved for her to follow me and I decided to teach her a bit as we moved. "Alright, so always keep your eyes open and watch your back. It helps to watch our backs too. If you see someone you don't know, swing. Got it?"  
She held the bat tightly and nodded. Her face had gone white.  
"Hey, it's okay," I smiled at her. "You're with us."

Ace already had one of the containers open and checked the gas. There was no pressure, but we knew the tricks.  
"So why are we here? Don't you have gas?" Mary was still gripping the bat like a lifeline.  
"Yeah," Ace spit and shook her head as she moved on to the next pump. "But you never know when you'll need it...or not hit one for days. We like to keep both the car and the extras filled."  
I kept my eyes out on the area. There were a few over turned cars and the small store had its window already broken in. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I pumped the shotgun and waited. I didn't want to scare the poor girl more than necessary.  
"Got one!" I heard Ace call out behind me. I ignored her though as I saw something move in the store.  
"Move quickly. I think we may have a problem."  
"What?" Mary's voice went high pitched but I focused on the store. Ace would take care of her if needed.  
A man jumped through the window of the store and ran for us. I waited, trying to not be distracted by Mary's screams. Another one slipped around the building and I saw a girl following him. They were covered in blood and I didn't take a chance.  
"Move out! Now!" I waited until I had a decent shot of the guy coming from the window before I shot. He fell back. I turned my attention on to the two others. One went down with a shot to the head. I wanted to grin at Ace but instead I focused on the last one and watched its movements. Ace took another shot and they went down. I saw more movement at the side of the building. I looked for Ace and Mary and found them running to the car. I waited until Ace reached the car.  
"Now!" Ace yelled. I ran for it as she covered me. I got in the passengers side and watched the station carefully as we drove off. I was tempted to shoot at one of the pumps and blow it up, but it would have been a waste of gas we might later need.

I laughed a bit with Ace, the exhilaration getting to me. I turned to find Mary in the back seat, white as a ghost. "Alright Mare?"  
"No!" I shared a look with Ace as she continued. "I don't...what the fuck?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"You just shot them! I don't understand. Why is this all happening?" She started to cry and I leaned over and patted her on the back.  
"Have you been living under a rock for the past three years?" I asked quietly. Ace hit me in the side.  
"What?" Mary looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears.  
"Well, how can this shock you this much? No offense but it's been about three, four years since the world started to go to hell."  
She shrugged and wiped her eyes. "My parents...they're kind of hippies. We spent a couple years living in this small town. It wasn't much but it was home. We went camping for awhile and when we got back...it was only a couple days before you found me." She cried harder.  
"Jesus..." I muttered. I climbed into the back seat and sat next to her. I pulled her closer, letting her cry on me. I looked at Ace in the rear view mirror. She looked as unhappy as I did. It was a terrible world now...and Mary didn't even know the half of it.  
I waited until Mary cried herself to sleep before moving back to the front seat.  
"Well fuck." Ace said quietly as I rearranged myself and the weapons in the front seat.  
"You're telling me. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell didn't expect that. How the hell do you live here for years and not know everything?"  
"What I want to know is how her parents kept it from her so well."  
I thought about it and shrugged. It came to our town quickly and my dad had acted fast. I had enough scars from the first few weeks of running with him and Ace.  
"Hey," fingers snapped in my face and I turned to Ace. "You alright?"  
"Yeah, sorry. Want to switch?" She nodded and pulled to the side of the road. We awkwardly traded places without leaving the vehicle. I started the truck and looked at Ace who had her eyes closed. "Ace?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You think we'll survive this?"  
She opened her eyes and looked at me. "We have so far."


	4. Not Cops, Not Military, Nothing

At The End Of Everything

Chapter 4: Not Cops, Not Military...Nothing.

Notes: As promised, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"Here,"  
"Ew, peas? I hate peas. Isn't there anything else?" I shut up at the look Ace gave me. The other two had eaten earlier as I drove. Now that Ace and I had switched, it was time for me to eat and sleep.  
"I don't know...I can look," Mary made to take off her seatbelt.  
"No, it's cool. I've had worse." I shuddered at the memory of canned beets.  
"Like what?"  
"Huh?" I looked back at Mary as I tried to open the can with a can opener while the truck was moving. I hoped it didn't spill on me. I'd never get the smell of canned peas off.  
"Like what? I mean, I don't really know anything about you...what's your story? How'd you two meet? How'd you learn all of that?"  
I was only half paying attention as I ditched the lid and ate of spoonful of peas. They were exceedingly mushy, but I forced the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to throw up. I needed whatever food I could get. I looked up to find her staring inquisitively at me. "Wha?" I asked with my mouth full.  
"She wants to know our story." Ace explained, not looking off the road.  
I swallowed. "Oh. Well there's not much to know."  
"Ok, well, how do you know each other?" Mary leaned forward and waited for an answer.  
"Ace and I?" I asked around another mouthful of peas. She nodded. "We've known each other for ages. Before the world went to hell."  
"Really?" I nodded. "Are you two cops?"  
Ace snorted and I nearly choked on the peas. "No," I laughed once I could. "We're not cops, not military...nothing."  
"Then how do you know how to do everything?"  
I felt Ace's eyes on me as I stopped eating. "We learnt what was necessary for survival." I stared Mary down, trying to convey the seriousness of it. "You will too. Okay?"  
She nodded and looked away. I continued eating, ignoring the tension in the air.  
"If you do run into any military," Ace said, "run. Got it?"  
"Why?"  
"Because," I interrupted whatever Ace was going to say. "They're power tripping." At her confused look, I turned and got myself as comfortable as I could while I ate. "Look, ever since Palin took off, the military is well aware that they have most of the ammo. It's been a long couple of years Mare, not everyone who is left is...well, the kind of person you want to have that much ammo. You'll be safer if you just run from them."  
She stared at me inquisitively for a moment as I ate. "What happened?"  
"Hmm?"  
"What happened? How do you know that?"  
I turned back to face the front and ignored her. That was a memory that didn't need dragging up.  
"Prez?" She sighed when it became apparent neither of us was going to answer her. "Can you at least tell me why you're telling me this like you won't be around?"  
"Because you need to know." Ace said. "Because we might not always be around. No one is."

I woke up suddenly in pain. My left calf was cramping up severely and I tried stretching it out. I ended up just kicking the floor of the car a few times in my half asleep state. The car stopped and I jumped out. I hopped around on one foot as I stretched it out, gritting my teeth against the pain. It didn't take long before I was left with a dull ache. I got back in the car.  
"Thanks."  
Ace didn't say anything, just started the car and continued driving. I massaged my calf, trying to get it to fully loosen. It's happened before that I woke to it in pain. It wasn't severe or anything, but the muscles were going to be tense tomorrow. It was enough of a liability that could cost me any of our lives. I looked back to find Mary awake and staring at me. I turned away and she remained silent. I just needed to fall back asleep.

"We need to get her new clothes."  
Ace was in the back, changing. Mary sat in front passenger's seat for once and was trying to stare straight ahead. I looked back in the mirror.  
"We're heading near a small town. We can check it out."  
Ace nodded and put her leather jacket back on. She started to check the weapons.  
"Why do I need new clothes?" Mary asked.  
"You can look now, she's done," I grinned at her, "You need new clothes because the jeans and t-shirt deal you got going on really won't help. We'll try and find you some leather and more jeans. Know your size?" She nodded. "Good. We're going to make this a quick trip." I didn't add the 'hopefully'. Any sort of towns made both Ace and I nervous. They were difficult to drive through since the infection spread. Overturned cars and various other obstacles were too common.  
I stopped in front of a thrift store.  
"A thrift store?" Mary asked. "Why can't we go somewhere more...?"  
"Because old clothes can be more durable." Ace answered. I checked for my bowie knife and made sure my gun was fully loaded. "Besides, we're looking for a leather coat for you most of all. And jeans."  
I looked out the front windows, knowing Ace was doing the same in the back. "It's clear."  
"Then let's go."  
I handed Mary the bat and got out.

The store was clear.  
"Mary, stay with us, got it?"  
"Don't need to tell me twice," she was gripping the bat with white knuckles.  
"Relax a bit though," Ace told her as we moved towards the jackets first. "You're too tense. Makes you jumpy."  
"I think I have a right to be jumpy,"  
"Yeah," I looked at her. "But jumpy makes you dead." A coat caught my eye and I grabbed it. It was leather, which was what we were looking for. "Here, try this on."  
"Now?" She looked at me incredulously.  
"Yes now. Hurry up." She put down the bat and tried on the jacket. It was too big for her. I started searching for another one while Ace kept a look out.  
"Here," I handed her another one that was slightly smaller, but felt thick. She put it on and it fit. "Got one." I told Ace and we moved onto jeans.  
I ignored Mary's protests and instead, once she told me her size, I started pulling out jeans. Once a found a couple of pairs that were her size and looked to be her length, I handed them to her. Ace was leading the way out when we heard something behind us. I turned quickly to see a couple of people covered in blood. Ace hushed Mary and they spotted us.  
"Fuck!" We ran for the entrance as they ran after us. I stopped and turned, letting Ace lead Mary out. There were three of them. I aimed and shot, sending one of them flying back. I turned and jumped through the broken glass front.  
Ace had stopped in front of the car. I turned and aimed at the two that were coming through the store. I heard two shots and they both went down. They didn't come from next to me though where Ace stood.  
"There," Ace muttered and I turned to my left to see a small group of people. They were standing by a truck and a jeep. I gripped the shotgun tighter and moved closer to Mary. We waited.


	5. It's a camp

**At The End of Everything**

Chapter 5: "It's a camp."

Notes: Here's part 5. I hope some of you like it. For those awaiting Emma, it's coming. Trust me.

* * *

Someone from their group called out to us. "Who are you?"  
"Us? Who the hell are you?" I moved and aimed with the shotgun.  
A man stepped forward and I watched him carefully. They were too far to really make out any clear features, but we could still shoot them if we needed to.  
"We're just here for supplies," He called out.  
I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and I turned quickly. Someone had been trying to sneak up on us. He stood up straight and pointed his gun at me. Ace and I moved so that we were practically back to back, Mary between us.  
"Fuck. Prez, this isn't good." Ace said softly.  
"Tell me about it." I ignored the fact that I could practically feel Mary shaking behind me.  
"Who the fuck are you?" Ace yelled out to the group. I tried to figure out if we could make it to the truck or not before anyone got hurt.  
"Who are you?" They yelled back. This was getting us nowhere.  
"Ace, they have guns."  
"What does that mean?" Mary asked, trying to be as quiet as the two of us.  
"Means they're probably not infected. Doesn't mean we're taking any chances though." The man closest to us moved forwards.  
"Look, we're not here to hurt you. We're just out for supplies. We've got a base camp not far from here...for survivors."  
"Stay back or I will shoot you." I told him as he motioned to step forward again.  
"A camp?" I felt like hitting Mary as she spoke.  
"Yeah, a camp. You're welcome to come back with us."  
I knew how this went. "You know what, I think we're good."  
Mary tugged on the back of my jacket. "Prez? Maybe we should go; if there's more people...wouldn't we be safer?" I didn't have to look to know what look Ace gave her.  
"Mare, it's not a good idea."  
"Why not?"  
I kept my eyes on the group.  
"This isn't the time for this." Ace said and I couldn't help but agree with her.  
"Look, you don't want to come, fine. We just saved your asses though." The man said, watching us carefully.  
"Come on," Mary shifted behind me. "It wouldn't hurt to just check it out, would it? I mean, if there's more people..." she trailed off.  
I looked over my shoulder at Ace. "Well, what do you think?"  
"We could go. Bring our own car. If we need to, we could leave." I thought about it and turned to the guy.  
"If we go, we need free reign to leave whenever we want. Got it? No tricks."  
"If you stay, you need to play by our rules."  
"We take our car." Ace said.  
"Fine. You follow the jeep. The truck will follow you."  
"Fine." I lowered the shotgun and watched as he lowered his gun. He stepped forwards and held out his hand.  
"I'm Dean."  
"Prez," Mary pushed me a bit and I shook his hand. He pulled me forwards and splashed water on me. I swung but he ducked.  
"It's holy water. I had to check."  
"Check what?"  
"If you were infected."  
"How...?" I stared at him in confusion.  
"It's a demonic virus."  
"Oh." I wondered briefly if we came across a crazy person. I hoped not. "Okay...That's Mary and Ace." I pointed behind me and he threw water on them as well. Mary sputtered but Ace wiped her face. She still had her gun pointed.  
"Pleasure. Let's go."  
"This is a fucking bad idea," Ace muttered as we followed the jeep.  
"Tell me about it."  
"It can't be that bad. If it is, you can get us out...right?" Mary's faith in us only made me feel worse. I prayed we didn't regret this.

"It's like summer camp gone wrong..." I said, looking out the window at the cabins as we pulled up. Ace stopped the car and I got out slowly, still looking around.  
"What? You brought more people?" I looked to see someone had run up to Dean. He was staring at us in confusion.  
"Yeah. Show 'em around." Dean hit the guy on the shoulder and walked away.  
I decided to take pity on the guy and stepped forward. "I'm Prez."  
"Chuck." He shook my hand. "Are they your..." he trailed off.  
"That's Ace, and Mary." I said pointing them out. Again. They both walked over to me. Ace nodded at him. He looked nervous.  
"Right, so...I'll just...show you around. Follow me."  
"Wait." Ace spoke up and he turned back. "If we leave our stuff in the truck, will it be there when we get back?"  
"What? Yeah. Everyone usually keeps to themselves, don't worry."Ace nodded and we followed Chuck.

"I like it." Mary was looking around the cabin, grinning.  
"Good. Stay here, okay Mare? We're going to look around on our own."  
She frowned at me. "Why do I have to stay?"  
"Because." Ace opened the door. "Just do it." Mary collapsed on to a chair pouting.  
"What do you think?" I asked Ace as we walked out of the cabin.  
"It's a fucking camp."  
"I know! I thought they were just rumours..." We walked by a couple of people who stared curiously at us. "Apparently not. Do you think Ally...?"  
"Hope so." I dropped the subject.

We walked in silence for a bit until we stopped by the car. Ace checked the back for our things while I sat on the hood of the truck. She tossed me a bag.  
I opened it and rifled through it until I found the whetstone. I took out my bowie knife and started sharpening it.  
"I don't trust this." Ace joined me on the car hood.  
"Yeah, it seems almost too good to be true. They have this whole system set up." We sat in silence for a bit as I sharpened my knife. Once I was satisfied and put it back in the sheath, Ace spoke again.  
"We'll give it a couple of days. We can decide then. We should work on training Mary though, while we're here."  
"Yeah."

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	6. What's with the bat?

**At The End of Everything**

**Chapter 6: "What's with the bat?"**

Notes: I know, I know, it's been awhile and what you really want is more of Emma. Don't worry, I swear it's almost ready. Just...be distracted with this for now :P

We split up. Ace went to talk to Mary about when she wanted to learn while I wandered the grounds to see what I could find.  
"Hey!" I turned quickly to see some girl running up to me. "You're one of the new girls aren't you?"  
I watched her carefully as she stopped in front of me. "Yeah, I'm Prez."  
"Prez? Weird name. I'm Jane." She held out her hand and I shook it. "So, where you from?"  
"Around." I didn't feel like going through my life story with a girl I didn't know. Especially since I was in some new camp.  
"Ah...well I'm from Minnesota. What's with the bat?"  
I swung it onto my shoulder and shrugged. "Weapon. Is there a shooting range here?"  
Her attention drifted from me and I turned to see what she was staring at. Dean was walking towards us.  
"Hi Dean!" Jane's voice went higher. "How was the mission?"  
He smiled. "Jane, you're looking...well."  
She smiled and bit her lip. "Thanks, you too."  
I felt like an awkward third wheel. "I'm just gonna go..." I started to walk away when Dean stopped me.  
"Wait. You and I, we need to talk." He looked at Jane. "We can continue this...later." His eyes trailed up and down her form.  
"Of course. You're welcome to come to my cabin...at any time." She reached over and trailed her fingers down his arm. She glared at me for a moment before smiling again at Dean and walking off. Once she was out of earshot, Dean turned to me.  
"Well?" I asked, swinging the bat down off my shoulder. "What can I do for you?"  
"We need to talk."  
"Yeah, you said that, so talk."  
"Ok, how have you survived this long?"  
I was a bit surprised at the sudden question. "Excuse me?"  
"You heard me. How?"  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "How's it any of your business?"  
"It's my business when you're staying with people who trust me to keep them alive. You want to stay here, you need to talk."  
I wanted to tell him to stuff it, but Mary was enjoying it so far, and he had a point. "We survived by using the skills we learnt. Most of it was from my dad...when it first started. The rest we learnt on our own. A mix of common sense and instinct."  
"How long have you been out on the road?"  
I sighed. "We've been running since our town was destroyed...it's been...three years?"  
"Alone?" He looked at me incredulously.  
"No. It was Ace, my dad and I. Then just Ace and I. We met up with some people and stayed with them for awhile...but then we met Mary and things happened, so we left. Happy now?"  
"No. What happened? Why'd you leave?"  
"Jesus, twenty questions much?" He didn't relent. "We left because two other members of our group decided to go find a camp. That left us with two idiots who were on a power trip. We left so they didn't do something stupid and get us killed."  
He stared me down. "There's not many other camps out there. We haven't seen anyone new that wasn't a croat in months."  
I knew what he was trying to tell me. I just nodded. I didn't need to think of Ally or Mac either dying or becoming infected. "Is there anything else?"  
"No."  
"Good." I turned and left him standing there.

Ace took watch. Mary had fallen asleep quickly, but I wasn't fully comfortable in the cabin...which made it difficult to sleep. I dozed in and out until Ace woke me up.  
"Does Dean have a twin?"  
"Huh?" I blinked up at her, confused. "Not that I know of, why?"  
"I just saw him knock out someone who looked just like him." She rocked back on her heels. "It's your turn."  
I stretched as I got up. I put my knife back in my leg holster and checked my gun. I grabbed the bat and went to sit on the porch. Ace wouldn't fall asleep too quickly and I needed air to wake up.  
I had been outside for a few minutes when I saw someone exit a cabin and walk towards me. I waited, tightening my grip on the bat. A man stood in front of me and smiled.  
"You must be new. I'd remember you."  
"Um...okay. Yeah, I'm Prez."  
"Cas." He reached out to shake my hand. I took it hesitantly. "May I?" He motioned to the spot next to me.  
I nodded. "So...Cas? Is that short for anything?"  
"Yes, Castiel."  
"Oh, cool." I couldn't say anything about his name considering mine. I stretched my left calf out of habit. I saw Cas move and I turned to see him lighting up a joint.  
"Want one?" He held it out to me.  
"No thanks...where'd you even get that?"  
He shrugged. "I grow it."  
I loosened the grip on my bat. He wasn't that threatening, even though I knew better than to assume anything.  
"So, tell me...Prez..." I waited as he took another hit of the joint. "What do you think of the camp?"  
"It's kind of weird. I mean, I heard rumours...but it was rumours. Seems fine so far."  
He nodded. "And the virus?"  
"It sucks. What do you expect me to say?" He shrugged, still smoking. We sat there in silence until he was done smoking.  
He stood up and stretched. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Prez. Perhaps you and maybe your friends will join me tomorrow. I'm having a bit of a get together in my cabin. Say...two?"  
I stared at him for a moment and considered it. It was probably something I didn't want to know about considering the way he was looking at me. "I don't think so, but thanks."  
He shrugged, grinned and walked away.

**Review?**


	7. Time travel often?

**At The End of Everything**

Chapter 7: "Time Travel Often?"

Notes: I believe this is the second last chapter of this. I know, I haven't been updating as frequently as I planned, but I think you'll like it. Thank you to those who have read it and reviewed!

* * *

"Why do I have to do this?"  
I rolled my eyes as Mary followed Ace and I. "Because you need to train."  
"But why? If I have you two there..."  
"We might not always be there." Ace snapped at her.  
"And if I stayed here?" Mary asked, running a bit to catch up.  
"It's best to be prepared Mary. Do you want to remain trapped in a closet next time?" We stopped as we reached an empty space. "Okay," I said. "This is good. Now...what do you know?" Mary stared blankly at me. "Do you know how to shoot? Any self defense?" Her expression didn't change. "Okay...how's your running?"  
"My running?"  
"Yeah, how long can you run for?"  
"How long? I don't know..." I sighed and looked to Ace. This was going to be harder than we thought.  
"Fuck," Ace muttered. "Start running."  
"What?"  
I closed my eyes and hoped Ace didn't snap. "Stretch, then run. We'll run with you." I had to lead her through the stretches and took off. Ace would make sure Mary didn't fall behind.  
I stopped suddenly as I saw Dean shoot someone. It took me a second before I realised there was another Dean staring at the first one in shock.  
"I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and him, it's a pretty messed-up situation we got going. But believe me, when you need to know something, you will know it. Until then, we all have work to do."  
Mary fell at my feet panting.  
"I told you there was a twin." Ace joined us, breathing fine.  
A couple of men picked up the body and the Dean who shot the guy walked past us. His twin walked quickly after him, giving us a once over as he passed us by. Castiel walked up to us.  
"Prez, you made it."  
Ace looked at me. "Actually," I said, "I didn't...that's not why we're here. What's going on?"  
"Oh, well there are two Deans. The one in the green is from now and the one in the blue is from five years ago."  
I stared at him for a moment. "How high are you?"  
He laughed. "If you'll excuse me...I have an orgy to get to."

I lunged at Ace. She ducked to the side and brought an elbow down on my back. I pulled her legs out from under her.  
"This is ridiculous." I panted as I rolled away. "We know each other's moves."  
"Well, we have only mostly fought each other in practice." She grinned and I lent her a hand up. I heard clapping. I was about to invite Mary to join when I realised it wasn't Mary clapping. It was one of the Deans.  
"Impressive." He walked towards us.  
"Can we help you?" I asked. Ace grabbed the bat that was on the floor.  
He shrugged. "Just...wasting time."  
"So, which one are you?" Ace asked.  
"Huh?"  
"Which one? Current or...past?" The idea was weird, asking it seemed weirder.  
"Past. Wait...what? You know?"  
"Cas told us."  
He turned, muttering curses.  
Mary came up and stood next to us and looked at Dean curiously. "What's going on?"  
"I'm Dean," he held out his hand.  
"We know. We met you before."  
I ignored Mary and shook his hand. "Prez."  
"Prez? Strange name." He grinned at me.  
"This coming from a guy from the past?"  
"Touché."  
"Wait, the past?" Mary looked between us. "I'm confused."  
"I'm Ace," Ace shook his hand and grabbed Mary. "Mary, leave us."  
"What? Why? What are you going to talk about that I can't hear?" She narrowed her eyes at us. "Are you going to have sex?"  
"What? No!" I ignored the interested look on Dean's face. "You want to stay and talk, fine. Jesus..." I shook my head as Dean laughed.  
Mary sat down on the grass and looked up at us. "Well? Are you going to stand or sit?"  
We all sat down.  
"You mind if I ask a question?" Dean asked, "You seem the most normal out of everyone I've seen here...what's the me here like?"  
I looked at Ace and shrugged. "We've only known him for...a day? Maybe two?"  
"Really? What about before?"  
"Oh!" I leaned back from Mary who seemed suddenly excited. "Well, I met Ace and Prez like, a week ago. They found me in a closet...since then; they've been taking care of me."  
"Alright," I stood up and stretched. "You talk, I'm going to run some more." I leaned down to whisper in Dean's ear. "You hurt her, I'll maim you. Got it?"  
I smiled at Mary and Ace. "I'm going to check on our stuff. I'll be back."  
Our truck was still intact, with everything we had left in there. I grabbed the leather jacket from the backseat and ran back to where I left the others. I threw the jacket on Mary's head.  
"Hey!"  
"Put it on. You should get used to it." She grumbled at me as I sat down next to her.  
"So, Dean. Do you time travel often?"

I woke up to my calf in pain again. I tried to stretch it out as I lay down, but had to jump up to get it out. I made my way to the porch once I saw Ace wasn't in the room.  
She was sitting on the stairs, watching as a bunch of cars drove off.  
"What's going on?" I asked. I held a lunge to stretch out my calf.  
"Don't know. Bunch of them just met up and drove away." Ace looked at me. "You okay?"  
"Yeah...it just..." I didn't bother explaining it. Ace had been there when I got the injury that still caused my leg to seize up.  
"I know."  
We sat there for a moment and watched Chuck walk by. He forced a smile and waved. We nodded and he walked faster.  
"Bit jumpy, isn't he?"  
"Wouldn't you be?" Ace looked up at me as I sat down next to her.  
I rubbed my calf. "So, how do you feel about the place?"  
She shrugged. "It's decent."  
"Mary likes it. Ally would have liked it." Ace grinned at me.  
"Yeah, she would." She paused for a moment. "Are you staying up?"  
"Yeah, go sleep." She got up and left me sitting on the porch. I wasn't sure if we were going to stay, but we'd figure it out.

Jane glared at me as she passed me.  
"What's that about?" Mary asked, looking back at her.  
"Beats me."  
"So, how much more of this training do I have to do?"  
"Until you get good enough that if we left you alone, you'd be able to survive." We were walking to the car to grab some food. Supplies were low in the camp and Ace and I had decided we'd use some of our own. We didn't eat much nowadays anyways.  
Mary climbed into the truck and headed to the boxes. "What do you want?"  
"Not peas." I looked in where Mary was rifling. "Actually, hand me a shirt too."  
"What are you doing?" I turned quickly, grabbing my knife and pointing it at who was behind me.  
"Woah!" Chuck leaned back, away from me. "It's just me!"  
I put the knife back into the sheath and Mary's head popped out of the door.  
"I got peaches, carrots and peas...sorry Prez."  
"What? Wait, you had food?" Chuck looked at me accusingly.  
I stared him down. "Yes, and?"  
"It's just...we could have used that."  
"We didn't know if we were staying. We needed to keep our own supplies."  
"And now?" He crossed his arms. "Aren't you guys staying?"  
I thought about how I could answer and the world went white.

**Review?**


	8. Chelsea and Rebecca

**At The End of Everything**

Chapter 8: Chelsea and Rebecca

Notes: This is the final chapter of this story. I hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Merry Christmas.

* * *

_"What are you doing?" I turned quickly, grabbing my knife and pointing it at who was behind me._  
_"Woah!" Chuck leaned back, away from me. "It's just me!"_  
_I put the knife back into the sheath and Mary's head popped out of the door._  
_"I got peaches, carrots and peas...sorry Prez."_  
_"What? Wait, you had food?" Chuck looked at me accusingly._  
_I stared him down. "Yes, and?"_  
_"It's just...we could have used that."_  
_"We didn't know if we were staying. We needed to keep our own supplies."_  
_"And now?" He crossed his arms. "Aren't you guys staying?"_  
_I thought about how I could answer and the world went white._

My eyes snapped open as an alarm bleated a repetitious tone. All I saw was blue. It took me a few seconds to realise I was surrounded by sheets. I fought my way free and froze. I was in my room. The same room I had left in a mess as I ran for clothes before leaving it forever. I slammed my hand down on the alarm clock. This was wrong. I heard footsteps in the hallway and I looked quickly for any kind of weapon. My knife was gone and I couldn't see my bat or gun anywhere near. I grabbed a large text book on my desk and got ready to swing. The door opened and a head poked in and looked at me.  
"Oh good, you're up." My dad looked concerned as I dropped the book in shock. "Chelsea? Honey? You okay?" He stepped into my room and I threw myself at him. I hugged him tightly."Chelsea?" He pulled me back and looked down at me. "You're crying. Are you sure you're okay?"  
I didn't want to let him go, but I smiled. "Yeah, sorry. Bad dream."  
He smiled at me and smoothed my hair down. "It's alright. I made pancakes. Come down for breakfast."  
I nodded. "Sure, just...give me a minute." I waited until I could hear him walk down the stairs. I raced for the bathroom.  
It wasn't me staring back in the mirror. Technically it was, but it was me five years younger. Before anything happened...when my hair was past my shoulders and not in the pixie cut I kept it at because it was easier to fight with. I wasn't as trimmed and toned and starved as I was twenty minutes ago talking to Chuck about food. My scars were gone. My reflection felt wrong. I hadn't been that girl in years.  
"Chelsea!"  
It felt weird being called by my actual name. Even more so since it was my father calling me and he had been dead.  
"Coming!" I turned away from the mirror and headed downstairs. I needed to find Ace.

Ace could wait.  
I had to be in heaven. The pancakes were the best thing I had eaten ever. Granted I had spent the last few years eating nothing but canned food and the rare fruit or vegetable, but nothing compared to this.  
"Slow down kiddo, you'll make yourself sick."  
I continued eating, savouring each bite. "Anything interesting? You know on the day of..."  
"September 24th, 2009?" My dad finished and looked up from his paper. He smiled and shook his head when I shrugged at him. I was right. It wasn't possible but I was somehow five years in the past.  
The doorbell rang. I looked up to see my father put down the paper. All I could think of was him dying by something behind the door. It was irrational and ridiculous, but I jumped up.  
"I'll get it!" I hid the butter knife up my sleeve as I got up from the table and headed to the door. I dropped it to my hand when I opened the door. It was Ace.  
We stood there staring at each other for a moment until I saw her gaze down at the knife. I tried to hide it but she smiled.  
"So you're you?"  
I watched her carefully. "What do you mean?"  
She sighed. "The you who last night was at a camp five years in the future?"  
I dropped the knife. "Oh thank god!" I hugged her tightly. "I have no idea what's going on."  
"Aside from the fact we're in the past...me either." She smiled at me and took a deep breath, about to say something.  
"Chelsea? Who is it?" My dad called from the kitchen. Ace froze and looked at the kitchen in shock before turning to me. I nodded.  
"Want to come in for pancakes?"  
"Fuck yes."

I stood over my sink, staring at my past self in the mirror while I cut my hair. I needed something that showed I was the me of the future...the hair was the easiest.  
"I can't believe it's fucking 2009." Ace sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking over the newspaper my dad left.  
"I know." I said as I focused on cutting my hair and not myself. I was almost done. "I want to know how."  
"Maybe it was Dean?"  
I looked away from the mirror and Ace shrugged.  
"He's the time traveller." She had a point.  
I ran a hand through my now short hair. It didn't really have much of a style, but it was short. I liked that. "So what do we do?" I put down the scissors and started to clean the hair from the sink.  
"I don't know." She looked tired and it was strange to see it on a younger Ace. It didn't suit the old her. "We need to figure out what's going on. We know the virus has something to do with Croatoan..."  
"And it's demonic." I interrupted her. She gave me a confused look. "Future Dean told me after the holy water thing...remember?"  
"Yeah. If we research it...maybe we can stop it. Least, before it gets too out of hand."  
"And everyone dies." I smiled at her and we sat in silence for a moment. "We'll need to train. My body...it's...it doesn't move the way I know it should. It's like..." I tried to think of a way to explain it.  
"You want to go left but your body goes right. Your mind has the knowledge, but what use is it if you can't use it."  
"Right." I looked back in the mirror briefly. I still looked too young, but the hair made me feel better and more like myself.  
"Chelsea!" My dad yelled from downstairs.  
I opened the bathroom door. "What?"  
"Is Rebecca staying for lunch?"

We spent the first two months researching and training.  
"Chelsea? Honey?"  
I looked up from the rep of push-ups I was doing. "Yeah?"  
"Are you..." He paused. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, why?"  
"It's just..." He looked like he wasn't sure what he wanted to say. I hadn't seen this confusion in my father in ages. It was almost endearing. "You've thrown yourself into these workouts and while I'm all for being healthy, it's kind of sudden. You've been out of school for a few months now...shouldn't you look for a job?"  
I stopped the push ups and sat up to face him. "I have been." I lied. "Why do you think I'm constantly going out with Ace-Becca. It's just...no one's called me back." I shrugged and smiled at him. The time I spent with Ace was research.  
"If you want, I can try..."  
"No!" I stopped him before he continued. "It's just...it's something I want to do on my own."  
He stared at me for a minute.  
"What?"  
"It's nothing...it's just...you seem different." That was the understatement of the century.  
I forced a smile. "Well gee dad, it's called growing up."  
"Don't I know it," he muttered as he got up. I started a rep of crunches as I watched him walk away. I forced the thoughts that came from his comment out of my mind and focused on tomorrow. Ace and I were going shopping. I couldn't wait for my dad's reaction to what I came home with.

I ducked and the blow grazed my cheek. I threw a punch only to have Ace grab it and throw my arm out of the way. She retaliated with a blow to the stomach. I forced myself not to keel over and instead went for an uppercut. She moved to the right to avoid it and I tackled her. She moved her knees to try and throw me off, but I twisted and moved quickly to try and pin her. She grabbed the back of my legs and pulled them out from under me. I shoved my hand and stopped just before I hit her throat as she moved to pin me. I moved one of my legs up and under her to make it easier to throw her off. I grabbed the knife by my leg and held it to her throat in the same instant she had a knife to mine.  
I grinned. "Looks like we're still even."  
"Looks like." She got up off of me and we both started checking for bruises and any accidental cuts. Once we didn't find any, we stretched.  
"We still on for tomorrow?" I asked as I pulled my arms back.  
"Yeah. We'll meet for two. I have a driving lesson in the morning." She sighed at the thought of it.  
"Alright." I moved to stretch out my calves. "How goes the research?"  
She frowned for a moment. "Dean Winchester and his brother are apparently dead. Blown up in a police station a year ago."  
I stopped what I was doing. "That doesn't make any sense. When we saw him at the camp, past Dean that is, he said he was from 2009."  
"I know."  
"Huh." I went back to stretching. "Maybe it wasn't them?"  
"I don't know." She paused for a moment. "There's been a large amount of tornados throughout Missouri." She finished stretching and stood up to face me. "The weather is starting to go crazy. You know what that means."  
"Yeah..." It meant we needed to start planning our leaving. The weather going insane predated the virus. Things were starting to happen and history was repeating. We were pretty sure, aside from Dean; we were the only ones who knew what was going on. "So, what do you want to do?"  
"Start planning."

"Are you sure about this?"  
I stopped packing the car and nodded to Ace before facing my dad. He looked concerned. "Yeah," I smiled. "It'll be awesome."  
"It's not that I don't have faith in you but Rebecca just got her license a month ago and you don't know where you're going." He had his arms crossed and he kept looking over my shoulder at Rebecca as she packed the car. Thankfully, we had stored the weapons earlier. I doubt he'd let us leave with shotguns, knives and a bat in the back. Well, maybe a bat. One never knew with my dad.  
"That's the point of adventure!" He didn't look amused but I smiled and hugged him. "We have cell phones and maps."  
"Do you have enough money? Do you need a credit card, for emergencies?"  
I smiled. "Yes, we both have enough in our savings and we both got credit cards just in case."  
Ace came over when she was done throwing everything in the back. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Ace forced a grin and hugged him. "It was good to see you." She smiled again and turned to look at me. I recognized that look. I nodded and she went to the truck.  
"Call me when you make your first stop." My dad looked at me carefully. "I want to hear from you every day, got it?"  
"Yes dad." I smiled and suddenly felt my throat close up. No matter what we told him, Ace and I weren't sure if we'd make it back. We were out to save the world...we just couldn't tell him that. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again. I hugged him tightly.  
"Hey...you alright?" He asked as he hugged me back, smoothing out my hair.  
I nodded against his chest and breathed him in. His smell just screamed 'dad' to me. There was a time I thought I'd never smell that again. This was a second chance; we just had to make sure the world stayed safe. So that he stayed safe. I missed him already.  
"You know, you don't have to leave now. It's January. January's a strange month to go road tripping."  
I choked out a laugh. "I know. But we gotta go now." I smiled at him. "I'll miss you."  
"I'll miss you too. Now go."  
I nodded, headed to the truck and got in. It still had the new car smell. I rolled down the windows, started the engine and backed up.  
"Love you!" He called out to me. "Stay safe! And drive carefully!"  
"We will! Love you too dad!"  
I watched him in the rear view mirror as we drove off until he was out of sight. I wiped at the tears on my face. Ace turned to me.  
"He'll be okay."  
"I know," I smiled. "It's just..." I didn't continue the thought. "Well," I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Which way?"  
"North." She pulled out the map and opened it up. I could see our destinations highlighted.  
"Do you think we'll find him?" I asked as I turned a corner.  
"Fuck, I hope so."

**Review?**


End file.
